The 79 finalists in the 7th annual Pause Awards for 2024 have been announced and women are making their mark this year.
Pause Awards founder and CEO George Hedon said the awards celebrate game-changing breakthroughs and entrepreneurial excellence in Australia, with categories such as Women in Business and On the Rise putting the spotlight on emerging leaders and championing female entrepreneurship.
“In an era defined by economic challenges and the rapid rise of AI, this year’s entrants have made a real impact by zeroing in on customer needs,” he said.
“With funding down 53.3% but female founder applications up by 12%, these businesses are breaking through the noise and proving their capabilities.”
He also revealed the winers of the People’s Choice Awards. They are: Angel: Build Buddy, and in the I Wish I’d Done That category: Bill Fairies
Hedon said that in 2024, the average funding per finalist is $8.4 million, while the gender split stands at 58% male to 42% female, while the average age of founders is 39.
Key industry sectors included computer technology, health and real estate, with 44% of the finalists from Victoria and 38% from NSW.
This year’s finalists reflect Australia’s growing focus on tech and sustainability, with rising stars like Atticus, Applied EV, and Greener leading the way and shaping the future of industries.
Judging Board chair Sonia Clarke, principal of Clever Manka, said the quality of applicants was incredibly high this year.
“The entries that really stood out were solving a genuine problem in a new and creative way – but more than that, they moved beyond a great idea to quantifiable and meaningful impact. Some of this year’s winners are on track to become household names,” she said.
The winners will be announced on December 2 at Club Pandora in South Melbourne. Tickets are available now via Luma.
The list of Pause Awards 2024 Finalists are:
| 1Breadcrumb | On the Rise |
| AECO Energy | Going Green |
| Applied EV | Going Green |
| Applied EV | Defiant Ones |
| Applied EV | Going Global (new) |
| Applied EV | Collab (new) |
| Applied EV | New Model |
| Atelier | New Model |
| Atticus | Small & Mighty culture (new) |
| Atticus | Customer Obsessed (new) |
| Atticus | Going Global (new) |
| Bare | Customer Obsessed (new) |
| Bill Fairies | Collab (new) |
| Bill Fairies | On the Rise |
| Bill Fairies | I Wish I’d Done That |
| Caring Lotus | On the Rise |
| Classe365 | Going Global (new) |
| Driveschool Enterprises | Defiant Ones |
| Driveschool Enterprises | Singularity |
| East Brunswick Village/Banco Group | B-Good |
| EnergyFlex | I Wish I’d Done That |
| EnergyFlex | Going Green |
| EnergyFlex | Defiant Ones |
| Ethical Property Investments | B-Good |
| Evan Buist, Founder & MD, Melodie | Creative Maverick (new) |
| Galilee Group | Defiant Ones |
| Goldee | Singularity > Design first |
| Goodbye Gas | On the Rise |
| Greener | Going Green |
| Greener | I Wish I’d Done That |
| Greener | On the Rise |
| Greener | Defiant Ones |
| Health Focus Manufacturers | Ethical Leadership (new) |
| Heatseeker | I Wish I’d Done That |
| Heatseeker | Company of the Year |
| Heatseeker | On the Rise |
| Heatseeker | Pioneer |
| Kismet | On the Rise |
| Kismet | I Wish I’d Done That |
| Kismet | Defiant Ones |
| Lisa Skaife, Founder & CEO, Driveschool Enterprises | Creative Maverick (new) |
| Managed | I Wish I’d Done That |
| Matthew Blode, Co-Founder, Fingertip | Prodigy |
| Melodie | I Wish I’d Done That |
| Melodie | Circular Pioneer |
| Melodie | Hammer |
| Melodie | Small & Mighty culture (new) |
| Melodie | Defiant Ones |
| memobottle | I Wish I’d Done That |
| Mentwell | On the Rise |
| NightCafe Studio | Singularity |
| NightCafe Studio | Going Global (new) |
| Oliver Hoffman, Co-Founder, Fingertip | Prodigy |
| Open | Defiant Ones |
| Open | Wildfire |
| Open | Collab (new) |
| Open | Design First |
| Open | Next Level (new) |
| Paz Pisarski, Co-Founder, The Community Collective | Ecosystem Star |
| Peeplcoach | Hammer |
| Peeplcoach | I Wish I’d Done That |
| Positive Good | Company of the Year |
| Positive Good | B-Good |
| Seedling Giving | B-Good |
| Social Change Central | B-Good |
| Sophie Walker, CEO & Founder, Australian Birth Stories | Women in Business |
| Spoony | Customer Obsessed (new) |
| Taskforce Australia | Customer Obsessed (new) |
| Taskforce Australia | Defiant Ones |
| Taskforce Australia | New Model |
| Teamified | Hammer |
| Teamified | On the Rise |
| Time Under Tension | Company of the Year |
| Time Under Tension | New Model |
| Time Under Tension | Singularity |
| Time Under Tension | I Wish I’d Done That |
| Verity Tuck, Co-Founder, Goldee | Women in Business |
| ZEEP | Hammer |
| ZEEP | Small & Mighty culture (new) |
Daily startup news and insights, delivered to your inbox.